Special Olympics Ohio Board of Directors Approves Chairperson

The Board of Directors of Special Olympics Ohio (SOOH) has unanimously voted their approval of nominee Bill Meerman for the office of Chairperson.

Bill was elected to the SOOH Board of Directors in December 2017, began serving in January 2018, and was subsequently elected to the Executive Committee. Bill has been involved with Special Olympics Ohio for the past 15 years as a parent of an athlete (Lena), a coach, and fundraiser for both the Franklin County – Upper Arlington and Cuyahoga County – MBB local teams. He also served briefly as volunteer Area 12 Director in 2017. Bill and his family reside in Rocky River, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.

For more than three decades Bill has served on non-profit boards including the Central Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross Development Board, Texas Children’s Hospital Development Board, Association for the Developmentally Disabled-ADD (Board Member and Treasurer), and most recently as Board Member, Treasurer, and Executive Committee Member at Hattie Larlham. Professionally, Bill has more than 30 years of experience as a corporate retirement plan consultant and works as a Senior Institutional Consultant with Wells Fargo Advisors in Cleveland. He partners with a team of seasoned professionals who manage and serve an impressive book of high net worth and qualified plan clients. Bill is tasked with managing and growing their collective book of corporate retirement plans, providing vendor search, benchmarking, and ongoing financial advisory services.

Perhaps the most significant qualification Bill brings to SOOH is his willingness to serve, energy, enthusiasm, leadership, communication skills, experience with board governance, and working relationship with SOOH’s CEO, senior Ohio staff, field personnel, and Special Olympics North America (SONA) leadership. Bill helped to develop a track of continuing education and enrichment content for board members at the SONA July 2018 business meeting in Chicago and was a featured presenter at the event. The Executive Committee of the SOOH Board of Directors voiced unequivocal belief that Bill Meerman represents the exact kind of board leadership needed to usher in the next 50 years of Special Olympics and the exciting next chapter at Special Olympics Ohio.

“The future of Special Olympics Ohio is incredibly bright, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Bill as our new Chairperson of the Board,” states Jessica Stewart, President and CEO. “As Special Olympics celebrates 50 years of empowerment for our athletes, Bill brings a dynamic combination of not-for-profit experience, forthright leadership, personal impact, and a spark that lights the way for our athletes and Board of Directors as we launch into the next 50 years.”